Hey you guys. I was talking to Biggus today and we came up with the 540 being the most flexible engine package out there. SO lets come up with the ideal 540 with a 7.5-1 to 8.0-1 compresion ratio (can easily add a blower later that way).

1) Best Block to use: Merlin, stock, Dart............

2) Tall deck or not

3) Crank

4) Rods

5) Pistons

6) Heads

7) Valves

8) Intake

9) Cam

So on and so forth

Lets figure it out together

Jon

Just wondering how close is the 500 bulldog to being perfect.

2) tall deck for sure, the 540 built on a standard block uses either a 6.135 rod and 1.52 " comp height piston which makes for a short piston and krappy rod geometry 19.5 degrees,, or a 6.385 rod and 1.27 " compression height which is barely enuff for the ring pack ,, neither of these combos is optimal.

So Tall deck with 6.535 rods my 2 cents

Ya lets do this one thing at a time. Lets pick out the block first, then the crank, rods, pistons, cam, bearings, heads, valves, intake, carb and so on. Remember that price has to be a consideration on this project.

Jon

I am thinking either a merlin or dart Tall deck. I know you can get the Merlin for about 1400 bucks. Seems like a good price for a good block.

Jon

In considering price, do you want the "Perfect 540" or Perfect 540 for the Least $ spent.

I would not say the leaste but price obviously comes into play don't ya think? I mean is the perfect 540 the one you get say 500 hours out of that costs 10 grand or is the perfect 540 the one you get 1000 hours out of for 30 grand? I would say that the first is the better deal. I think that price always has to come into the equasion. I guess to answer your question we are looking for the bang for the buck If spending another 200 bucks on rods makes the engine that much better then that is what we do

Jon

Mine is a standard gen 6 502 with a .25" stroke crank. My compression is over your spec of 8:1, but I think that you'd want the higher compression to keep the cylinder pressures up. My cam is the crane 741, which I like alot. My dealer uses a cam with less overlap for a smoother idle, but I really like the lope. Hell, you could stick a 3/4 race cam in there and I'd still like it! lol I sure wouldn't go up to the 751 as it will move the power band up too high. My intake is a Edelbrock Victor Jr and the carb is a H850. The engine made max power (<600) at 5400 rpm and was still rising when the test was shut down. I do know that other builders can get more power at lower rpms with a smoother idle, but nobody can match the price. In terms of value, I'm very satisfied.

Cord my thoughts for keeping the compresion lower at this time is that these engines are going to go with me to the next boat. SO when I get the next larger thing then I want to be sure that I can put a blower on there very easily. My boat really can only handle about 450-500hp. I should be able to hit those number easy with a set up like a 540 and have those compresion numbers.

Jon

cam selection has everything to do with compression ratio.
A "planned" NA motor needs more compression and more cam.
A "planned" blower motor needs low compression and different cam.

Are we looking to build the best "do-anything" motor with big power and lifespan while remaining on a budget?

I think it needs to be port-fuel-injected (Cutler style).
Gapless top rings with low tension oil rings.
.040" squish height (zero deck).
hydraulic roller using extended length factory style lifters (no link bars).
Crank trigger ignition.
crank scraper and windage screen.
Polished and shotpeened rods with ARP bolts.
Head studs.
Valvespring retainers with oil holes for springs (a-la Milodon).
Fluidampr
Good balance job.

There: that's my list of "adds".